In certain surgical procedures, surgeons insert instruments, for example, without limitation, surgical stapling devices, through an incision or lumen in the bodily tissue to a specific site or cavity to perform certain procedures. As the instrument is introduced or removed through the lumen to the surgical site, the distal end of the instrument can rip, tear, or cut the lumen leading to damage and trauma to the bodily tissues surrounding the lumen. This can promote contamination and/or infection of the surrounding tissues. The lumen and surrounding tissues can impede the passage of the instrument into the surgical site as well as disable or impair the functioning of the instrument. Recent advances such as rounding the end of a surgical device have failed to solve these problems. Specifically, tissue damage, trauma, infection or contamination and dysfunction of the device caused by or aggravated by the introduction or withdrawal of a surgical instrument through a lumen in the bodily tissue continues to be problematic.